Effects of hijiki feeding on arsenic distribution in rats administered large doses of arsenate

Abstract Male rats fed a diet of 5% Hijiki seaweed or 5% cellulose for two weeks were administered large doses of sodium arsenate (Na2HAsO4) 7mg As kg−1 of body weight, during two days. At 48 h following the last arsenic administration, selected organs were isolated and homogenized. Femur and feces were lyophilized; portions of them were irradiated with thermal neutrons in a research nuclear reactor and their arsenic concentrations were determined from the induced gamma radiation from 76As. The greatest concentration of arsenic was detected in blood cells. A greater arsenic level was found in urine from the Hijiki diet group than in that of the cellulose diet group. The percentage distribution of arsenic in various organs indicated that the arsenic concentrated in blood cells 48 h after the arsenate administration, in comparison with the value 24 h after the arsenate administration [M. Katayama et al., Appl. Organomet. Chem. 6 389 (1992)]. The Hijiki diet accelerated arsenic accumulation in blood cells and the femur more than the cellulose diet, and arsenic levels in other organs (liver, heart, lung and kidney) of the Hijiki diet group decreased faster than those from the cellulose diet group.